


Starting School

by cassie5squared



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Hogwarts First Year, Reflection, Sorting Ceremony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-21
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-05-02 16:51:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5256080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassie5squared/pseuds/cassie5squared
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A look at the Sorting of five very different students and their feelings about it. Who ever really knows for sure which House is their destiny? Featuring both canon characters and OCs.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sorting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda Black, only eleven years old, is about to be Sorted at last, and eager to fit in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; Andromeda is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. Characterisations are based primarily on the game and other players' interpretations.

### September 1st 1964

After all the impatient waiting, the months and months of missing her big sister and wishing away the time and counting the days, it was finally the most important day of Andromeda’s life so far. She was officially a Hogwarts student, and wouldn’t be thought of as a baby any longer.

That said, she was secretly quite glad that she was one of the first to be called forward for Sorting; she hadn’t liked the idea of standing there watching everyone else and wondering if she’d be the unlucky one who took forever. She stepped up to the stool, catching Bellatrix’s eye at the Slytherin table, and gave her a little smile before the brim of the Sorting Hat fell over her eyes.

“Another Miss Black, I see,” it said thoughtfully in her ear. “Not as fierce as the last one, though, and there’s certainly something that can be said for that love of learning… Ravenclaw might benefit from a mind like that -” She froze, a bolt of panic lancing through her. “But no, you’re right, I suppose it had better be SLYTHERIN!”

Swallowing down the brief jolt of terror, Andromeda tried to look confident as the Hat was lifted off her head. Tossing her hair with a little smile, she made her way down to the applauding table on her right. A space was made for her next to Bellatrix, and as she settled down the two girls gave each other a delighted look. As the hall quietened for the next first-year, Andromeda felt her big sister’s hand squeeze hers briefly, and felt a warm glow of pride.

She was a Slytherin now, just like the rest of their family, and she would make them all proud.


	2. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank Longbottom is about to be Sorted, carrying the hopes and expectations for his entire family… and despite his determination, he can’t help harbouring a few worries about where he’s going to end up.

Frank had been acting confident the whole journey. With other nervous first years in his compartment, many of whom knew less than he did, he didn’t want to make things any worse. It had seemed to help, too; some of the Muggle-borns, in particular, had relaxed a lot on being told they weren’t as much of a rarity as they’d thought.

Of course, there’d been a long conversation about houses, in which one rather pale-looking girl had admitted she didn’t think any of them would be suitable for her. Frank had done his best to reassure her that the Sorting would find a place where she fitted, even if she didn’t feel like it worked at the start. He wasn’t entirely sure she was convinced, but he’d made a few silly jokes until she giggled and forgot about it.

In fact he’d spent a good portion of the trip goofing around to make the others laugh. It was a lesson he’d learned from his uncle Algie - if everyone was laughing, there was no time to worry about things.

But now, as he climbed the steps up from the harbour, he felt the nerves beginning to settle in again. Of course he knew where he was supposed to be Sorted, he’d known that since he was old enough to even think about the matter, but… there was still a nagging uncertainty about  _what if he was wrong_? If he wasn’t meant to be there… what was he going to tell everyone at home?

The nagging feeling only grew stronger when he and the other first-years were herded into the side chamber to wait. Several of the others began to whisper and fidget about where they might end up. Frank was about to step in and reassure them when another boy - pale-haired, thin-faced, and wearing an arrogant expression - spoke up.

“Well, I know  _I’m_  going to be in Slytherin,” he sneered, eyeing several of the Muggle-borns with contempt. “Lucky for me, really - it’s not like they’d let people like  _you_ in. You might get Hufflepuff, I suppose, if they’re desperate…”

“Right, ‘cause they should be that bloody lucky to be in Slytherin wi’ you,” Frank retorted loudly. He was pretty sure he recognised the other boy. “Merlin’s arse, I reckon I’d rather get kicked out, meself.”

The boy rounded on him at once. “Who asked  _you_? Let me guess, you’re hoping to be a big brawny Gryffindor?”

Frank raised his chin, staring the blond boy down with a dangerous expression. “Nobody asked you to start flappin’ yer gob in the first place, mouthy.”

It wasn’t difficult to see what might have happened - both of them were just about ready for a clash - but the door creaked open at that moment and everyone immediately tried to look like they hadn’t been intensely fascinated by the brewing tension. Professor McGonagall looked the little group over and frowned. “We’re ready for you now. Follow me.”

The blond boy elbowed his way to the front of the line, shooting Frank a smug look as he stepped heavily on the foot of a Muggle-born boy, and strutted into the Great Hall like he owned the place.

Frank pushed his annoyance aside as delight took over. He’d heard descriptions of the Great Hall, but the clear night sky that glowed overhead put all second-hand knowledge to shame. It was gorgeous! And bigger by far than he’d imagined, with so many older students sitting at the tables, and the whole huge row of teachers right at the far end.

Suddenly he didn’t feel very important any more - not like when he’d got on the train, with all his family on the platform waiting to wave him off, because he was the first Longbottom to go to Hogwarts since his uncle Algie had left. Now he was just one of the babies of the school, and he’d have to earn his reputation here.

The Sorting began with a truly daft-sounding song from the Sorting Hat about the four houses and what each of them looked for in their students. Privately, Frank figured it could have summarised Slytherin as  _inbred arrogant tossers this way_ , but he decided not to comment.

Then McGonagall began calling people up to be Sorted. He watched those who went ahead of him with interest. The Carrow twins, Alecto and Amycus, looked nothing alike, but they wore identical and slightly unnerving grins when both of them joined the Slytherin table. A small, fair girl with a bright smile identified as “Fortescue, Alice,” took some time to place before going to Gryffindor. A dark Asian boy with lank black hair, whose name was given as “Kulkarni, Nadeem,” ended up in Ravenclaw.

And then it was Frank’s turn. He swallowed and made his way out of the group, putting on as calm and confident a face as he could muster and slipping one hand into his pocket to rest briefly on the handle of his wand. It had to have picked him for a reason…

He settled onto the stool with a brief smile at the kids still waiting their turn, saw McGonagall approach with the Sorting Hat, and braced as it lowered…

“ **GRYFFINDOR**!”

He looked up, a bit startled, as the Hat was lifted away. It had barely touched his head!

The table beneath the red and gold banners was cheering, so, still bewildered but breaking into a slow grin, Frank made his way over and found a space next to Alice Fortescue. She flashed her pretty smile at him as the room settled down again for “Malfoy, Lucius!”

Frank had to bite his lip to keep from snickering at the name, even as the thin blond boy all but strutted up to be Sorted. It was no surprise when Lucius was speedily placed in Slytherin - as far away from the Gryffindor table as possible, which Frank quietly approved of. He’d never heard anyone at home having anything good to say about the Malfoys.

He couldn’t help wondering, as the last few people were Sorted, why it had been so quick for him. He’d expected it to take a little while to think it over and decide where he fitted best… he’d been right all along, though, and he shouldn’t have worried. Just because he’d been told not to jump to conclusions and not everyone ended up where they expected didn’t mean he couldn’t have his own opinions.

It wasn’t important now, anyway. He  _was_ a Gryffindor, and he’d show everyone what that meant. With a quiet little smile, he settled down and waited for the feast to begin.


	3. Expectations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A young pureblood boy knows exactly where he’s meant to be going, and won’t take no for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; Gideon Wilkes is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. He is semi-canon - a Wilkes is mentioned in the books, but nothing is known of him other than that he was a Death Eater who died “the year before Voldemort fell”. The characterisation is therefore wholly mine. Cameos from other students in his year are based on the game.

**September 1st 1966**

The journey had been relatively uneventful; not many people tended to bother the first-years apart from other first-years, and Gideon was secretly rather relieved. No matter how confident he’d acted in front of his parents - both to reassure his anxious mother and to avoid accusations of clinginess from his father - he was really quite nervous. He wasn’t going to see his family again until Christmas, a good three months off, and in the meantime he had the family honour to uphold.

The sail across the lake, under a dismal, cloudy sky, was interesting enough. Those who had heard stories from older relatives were keeping a lookout for any sign of the lake’s inhabitants, mostly the giant squid. For his part, Gideon amused himself watching his fellow students, particularly the Muggle-borns; it was painfully obvious how little they knew about the magical world, the way they were gawping. How they would ever cope with actually trying to do magic was beyond him.

He did his best to be patient as they were taken up to the Sorting, though he couldn’t help but feel very self-conscious on realising he was by far the tallest one in the group. Resisting the urge to hunch down and try to hide, he instead concentrated on the Sorting Hat’s song and the line of people ahead of him dwindling slowly. Names floated past him - “Black, Narcissa” - “Fawley, Janine” - “Rookwood, Augustus” - and then finally, “Wilkes, Gideon!”

Putting on a confident grin, he strode up to the stool and sat down with a little swirl of his cloak. The Sorting Hat was settled on his head, and a dry voice suddenly muttered, “Well, what have we here? Oh, but you’re a difficult one. A quick mind, I can see that, and a lot of courage - and ambition, too, by the look of it. Ravenclaw perhaps - or even Gryffindor - no?”

The idea of going to another House had made him actually grimace. “I belong in Slytherin,” he thought fiercely.

“Your loyalty does you credit, I have to say, but you’d excel wherever I put you, young man, I can assure you. I still think you’ll fit in well in Gryff-”

“It _has_ to be Slytherin! I’m pureblood, my family’s _always_ been there, it’s where I _belong_!”

“Very well, very well…” It sounded almost disappointed, but the next moment he heard the shout of “SLYTHERIN!” echo around the hall, and let out a silent sigh of relief. He didn’t even want to think about what his father would have said if he’d become a Gryffindor.

The next moment, though, the cocky smile reappeared as the Hat was lifted off his head, and he all but strutted over to the Slytherin table.

This was where it would all begin. One day… one day, when he’d mastered all the magic he could, he’d make his parents prouder than they’d ever been before, and the world would know his name.

But for now, he’d settle down to the Headmaster’s speech and the opening feast. It had been a long journey, after all.


	4. A Whole New World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remus Lupin can hardly believe he’s really at school and being Sorted… even if it’s not quite what he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; Remus Lupin is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. Characterisations are based primarily on the game and the other players’ interpretations.

Hogwarts was huge - bigger than Remus had ever imagined a building could even be, not that he’d ever seen many buildings other than regular houses. It looked wonderful, all lit up like something out of a fairytale with its reflection in the lake gleaming back up at it.

Muffled conversation and giggles came from nearby, and he looked over from his perch at the front of his boat to see several boys leaning over the side of the boat and trailing their hands in the water. One of them nearly overbalanced altogether, but the others pulled him back just in time, still laughing, and shoved him into his seat.

“Don’ any of yeh go leanin’ overboard!” bellowed the huge man at the front of the little fleet; he’d only just noticed what was going on, and despite his rather ferocious appearance, he sounded rather worried. “Jus’ sit still an’ wait ter get ter the castle!”

Remus had to stifle a little giggle and the urge to point out that it was a bit late for that. It was probably smarter to just do as he was told, he decided, and he sat quite still for the rest of the journey, immersing himself in the stunning sight ahead of him.

He was almost disappointed when they reached the dock, but the feeling vanished as soon as they began climbing up through the castle. He was actually _inside Hogwarts_!

A delighted smile lingered on his face all the way through the castle, into the Great Hall and right through to the Sorting Hat’s song. His dad had told him about it, just to make sure he knew what to expect, but just hearing about it couldn’t prepare him for the fact the Great Hall seemed almost full to bursting with a sea of black. He’d never been around so many people in his life.

Then he looked up at the teachers’ table, and felt a warm glow of relief; right in the middle, in the biggest chair of all, was Professor Dumbledore, looking just as pleased as he could, almost exactly like he had six months ago when he’d come to invite a very lonely boy to come to school. Remus gave him a smile of barely repressed delight, and could have sworn he got a tiny wink in return.

The strict-looking witch standing by the Sorting Hat called for their attention, and he listened carefully. For perhaps the thousandth time since he’d learned he’d be coming to school, he wondered where he’d go. He doubted it would be Slytherin; he wasn’t ambitious or cunning or pureblood or any of the rest of that. It was going to be Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, he was sure, and honestly he rather liked the thought of either.

But he couldn’t exactly decide for himself, so he patiently waited while the other first-years went up one by one. Watching their reactions to the Sorting was fascinating, if not always comforting; one of the first boys to be called - “Black, Sirius!” - seemed close to tears of shock when he was placed in Gryffindor, and stared almost miserably at the Slytherin table before going to sit down with his new house. Remus could only wonder how it felt to be denied something he’d set his heart on so badly, and hoped the poor guy would be able to come to terms with it soon. If he could he’d have gone over to offer some sympathy at once, but interrupting the Sorting wouldn’t be the best idea.

Several more people were called forward, and then finally he heard, “Lupin, Remus!”

He gulped and edged out of the group, trying not to look as worried as he suddenly felt. Another quick glance up at Dumbledore, whose smile was calm and reassuring, settled _some_ of the butterflies in his stomach, but he still felt a bit edgy as the Sorting Hat fell over his eyes.

“Well, this is a surprise, I must say,” the Hat said suddenly, and he nearly jumped. “I don’t recall meeting a young fellow like you before.”

“…You can tell what I am?” he replied, with a pang of fright.

“Of course - it’s in your mind, after all. But you can stop worrying, I’m not about to announce it to the room. No, all I’m going to say to them is where you’re going. Now, let me see…”

“I won’t mind which you pick,” he volunteered. “I’m happy with either of them, Hufflepuff or Ravencl-”

“Oh, no no no no, absolutely not, there’s only one place for you - GRYFFINDOR!”

Thoroughly startled, Remus stayed where he was until the Hat was lifted off his head again. He all but tripped over his own feet as he got up and nearly staggered towards the cheering table.

A Gryffindor. He was a _Gryffindor_. Oh, Mum and Dad were going to get a long letter tomorrow about this!

He slid into a seat across from Sirius and gave him a tentative smile. It wasn’t returned with any real enthusiasm, but it was a start, and he wanted to get off on the right foot with the people he’d be sharing a dorm with.

Once the Sorting was over, they’d been joined by two more boys - the first-year girls seemed to have congregated a bit further down the table - and for the first time he could remember, Remus was having a happy, comfortable conversation with people his own age. Sirius seemed to brighten up a lot more with someone to bounce off, and James Potter, who looked like his hair had lost a fight with a severe hurricane, clearly had plenty of bounce to share. While Remus himself didn’t say very much, he was content to listen to the others talking, and comment where it seemed appropriate.

Maybe this was what everyone else felt like. Maybe - even with the curse he was stuck with - it was possible to feel like a normal person after all.


	5. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A near-Hatstall experience gives one of the new first-years at Hogwarts something to think about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Based on the Innocence Lost roleplay; William Marshall is one of my four muses and this piece was originally written for the game. William is an original character of mine; I have been writing with him for seven years now and have a lot of backstory for him. Jason, another OC, is his closest friend.

“Any guesses where you’re goin’ to be yet?” said Jason as they approached the castle.

William gave the question some careful thought before pointing at the castle looming over them. “In there.”

“Oh, very funny. I _know_ we’re goin’ to be in there.”

“Why’d you ask then?” William said innocently.

“I meant what House, clever clogs.”

“I know. I don’t know what House I’m going to be in yet. I’m just not going to worry about it, either. My gran says it doesn’t matter where you are, because we all learn the same stuff anyway.” A grin nearly split William’s face, erasing the seriousness and making him look even younger than he already did. “So stop _worrying_.”

“I’m not worryin’!” Jason gave his new friend a little shove, but before William could shove back, they reached the castle, and were soon crowding into the Entrance Hall apprehensively. Even those who’d been looking confident up till now seemed just a little intimidated by the grand scale of the place. William and Jason surreptitiously edged closer to each other.

The pair of them had met on the train; William had dived into Jason’s compartment to avoid a gang of older students, who’d been sprinting down the passageway trying to escape a Prefect. The two boys had quickly decided they liked each other, and had spent much of the journey chatting amiably, in between daring each other to try the Every-Flavour Beans they’d bought and laughing at the expressions on each other’s faces.

It turned out that Jason was “practically pureblood”, in his own words, though he’d immediately shrugged this off with the disclaimer, “but all that stuff about purebloods bein’ better is stupid anyway”. This had made William confident enough to share his own family history, with which Jason had immediately sympathised.

As the doors to the Great Hall opened, the two boys in the middle of the group glanced at each other and grinned, before settling down to wait patiently through the introduction of the Sorting Ceremony.

“Argyle, Jason!”

Looking back at his friend and receiving an encouraging smile, Jason edged through the little crowd to sit on the stool. He was obviously doing his best not to look as worried as some of the others as the Sorting Hat was lowered onto his head. The rip at the brim of the hat opened -

“SLYTHERIN!”

As Jason sat down, William felt a pang of regret. If there was one table he _knew_ he wasn’t going to be joining tonight… Still, no rules said they couldn’t stay friends anyway.

He was rather looking forward to being Sorted himself. When his name was called, he stepped up eagerly to have the Sorting Hat placed on his head.

The next few minutes were surprisingly intense; the Hat had picked out Ravenclaw and Gryffindor as the two options, but was having a very hard time deciding between them. William debated back and forth with it over the choices and the reasons behind them, determined to make sure he ended up where he was absolutely best suited.

Finally, after what felt like forever but couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, the Hat said, “You’ve got to be the toughest decision this year, Marshall. Are you sure you don’t have a preference?”

William bit his lip. He wasn’t sure, really, and was about to say as much when he remembered that his dad had been a Gryffindor himself. If there was any better way to honour him than being in the same house, William couldn’t think of one.

“That’s as good a reason as any,” the Hat said wryly, and bellowed, “GRYFFINDOR!”

With a huge bubble of pride swelling in his chest, William stepped down from the stool and joined the Gryffindor table. He caught Jason’s eye across the all and gave him a lopsided smile and a shrug, which the redhead returned good-humouredly. They weren’t going to let House rivalries spoil things for them.

And best of all, William thought, there were more Aurors he knew of who were ex-Gryffindors than any other House. He was in the best place he could be to go where he wanted in life, and that alone was enough to keep a smile on his face for the rest of the evening.


End file.
